Shizusan — Great Sushi in Pune

Ever since our Chef has left Bombay for Pune, life seems to have become simpler and easier. Only problem is that Pune isn’t very Sushi friendly and as a result the Japanese restaurants are few and far between. We’ve had great Brazilian, Pan-Asian and even great Thaali’s, but the food of Japan (especially Sushi and Sashimi) is something we were longing for. Luckily for us, there is Phoenix Market and every Phoenix mall has a Shizusan, which is the in-house brand of the Phoenix brand. We’ve already covered the Mumbai one, and since our Foodie is a die-hard fan we had to visit this place and cover it too!

Tuna Sushi with Tempura flakes

The Place and Vibe:

Located on the ground floor of Phoenix Market city, this is the original shop-house, which was brought to Mumbai later. Wooden interiors, live Sushi counter, Bamboo separators are just some of the quirky designs that you’ll find at Shizusan. A detailed menu for both food and drinks is given to you when seated and then the fun begins! Music is something they can work on, barring that everything is spot on!

Pork Bao

Food and Drink:

Now we’ve been to Shizusan quite a few times and shall be covering our experience as a whole (P.S. We’ve tried almost everything on their Sushi and Bao menu :P) Our favorites from their Sushi has been the Mud Crab Salad, Shrimp Dynamite and the Peruvian. They had also done a travelling Sushi festival where they had fusion Sushi from the world which had some incredible Sushi like the Curried Sri Lankan Prawn and the Jamaican Tuna. The Mud crab Salad sushi had a Tempura Crab filling, with a mince crab salad on top. The Peruvian was fresh Tuna stuffed with Ceviche of chopped Tuna. Really light and refreshing while the Shrimp Dynamite was a simple yet tasty AF Tempura Prawn Sushi.

The Peruvian (Tuna Ceviche)

Coming their Bao’s and Dimsum, we really loved the PBnJ Pork Bao and the Pulled Chicken Bao. Soft meat with crunchy vegetables in a really soft pillow Bao is something everyone should try here! The Dimsum selection is vast but the portion size is quite hilarious, 4 medium sized steamed dumplings for 300 plus tazes is a little too much, nonetheless we had the Prawn and Coriander and Chicken Mooney bag dumpling, Moderate at best.

Baby Back Ribs

Another showstopper is the Baby Back ribs that they serve with a home-made BBQ sauce and a spice rub. Almost off the bone meat, with a good amount of fat to meat ratio, these little beauties were demolished in no time. Crispy Lamb Konjee is another good dish, great balance of the spice with the sweet and the shredded lamb was cooked till crisp! Moving on to their mocktails, the Iced green tea is refreshing, but the On the Beach — a Watermelon and Ginger based drink fell flat. The Sriracha Bloody Mary is worth a shot, a variation from the regular Bloody Mary. They have happy hours everyday between 4-7 and also do a Yum Cha setting with unlimited Dim-sum and Tea for 2 hours.

Sri Lankan Crab Sushi (Travelling Sushi Menu)

In Conclusion:

Shizusan has really set the standard when it comes to good Sushi and Pan-Asian Cuisine. They are consistent and have great selection of items on their menu. This is hoping they open another outlet in or around Baner.

Food: 4Value for Money: 4Decor: 4

(The Bombayfoodies visited Shizusan anonymously and paid for all the meals. Honest views and opinions have been given and there was no third party involved.)